


crowned in glory

by Naraht



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Cultural Differences, M/M, Russian Orthodox Victor, Russian Orthodoxy, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 08:58:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9992924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naraht/pseuds/Naraht
Summary: Victor and Yuuri are planning a wedding. In fact, to accomodate all their cultural traditions, they're planning three.For the Russian one, Victor is thinking a cathedral and golden crowns. Never mind that he's not religious.





	

"And we'll have a Western wedding too," said Yuuri decisively, laying the iPad aside.

Victor tilted his head, puzzled. They had spent most of the day hashing out the details of an intimate _shinzen shiki_ wedding in Hasetsu, to be followed by a reception for family and close friends. Victor was content. More than content, in fact: it sounded glorious. He couldn't wait to go shopping for a wedding kimono. But if Yuuri...

"Of course," he said, putting on a generous smile. "Whatever you like, Yuuri."

Come to think of it, he'd come across an article online a few years back about how popular Western weddings had become in Japan, Protestant hymns and all. Far be it from him to deny Yuuri the trendy, exotic wedding of his dreams, if that was what he wanted.

Now Yuuri just looked confused. "Well, I thought _you'd_ want it. After all, you're a – "

Victor burst out laughing. "But Yuuri, no, I'm not a Westerner! I'm a Russian!"

One of the most endearing things about Yuuri was his laser focus on the topic at hand. Anyone else would have got sidetracked into an elaborate discussion of geopolitics, the Urals, and Peter the Great, probably race, and heaven only knew what else.

"Are weddings different in Russia?" asked Yuuri, clearly determined to sort this out. "I'm sorry, I don't know these things."

 _No,_ Victor was about to say. _It's just a civil ceremony at the registry office, I'm sure it's not any different than in Japan._

Then he thought of religious weddings, thought crowns, and his brain short-circuited. _Round and gold..._

Yuuri looked at him expectantly.

"Yes, very different!" exclaimed Victor. "Yuuri, thank you for understanding, you're so good to me! I've always wanted to have a big wedding in a cathedral! Nothing on an oligarch scale, obviously, but..."

Never mind that he had never dreamt of a big cathedral wedding. Before Yuuri, he had hardly thought about marriage at all.

Never mind that he hadn't been inside a church in years. In fact he could pinpoint the place and the time exactly – Sochi, 2014, for the blessing of the Olympic team before the winter games. Georgi had spent the ceremony crossing himself from forehead to abdomen with heartfelt fervor. Mila, who had brought no headscarf to wear, shot him sceptical looks from underneath the hood of her team jacket. On the steps outside the church, in the midst of a sea of flashbulbs, Victor had carefully crossed himself and kissed the hand of the Patriarch. He was not a believer, but he hadn't minded at all. It was just a very specialised kind of performance.

Probably the time before that had been in 2010, at Christ the Saviour in Moscow, as part of the send-off for Vancouver. 

So he was a regular churchgoer of sorts. He was! Just at four year intervals.

He grabbed for the iPad and quickly typed _Orthodox wedding_ into the search bar.

"You see, we have crowns, Yuuri! Crowns! Wouldn't you like to wear a crown at your wedding? Then I can give you something round and gold too."

Yuuri accepted the iPad, studied a page of image results. The predominant impression was one of gilt. Golden crowns on the heads of the wedding couples, icons gleaming with gilt, golden embroidered vestments. _Yes,_ thought Victor. _This is a brilliant idea. This is the wedding I never knew I needed._

"Wow," breathed Yuuri, his mouth falling open. "I had no idea."

"First you exchange rings. Three times? I think three times. And I kiss your crown and you kiss my crown, and then we exchange _them_ three times, and then we both wear them. They symbolise... well, something important anyway, it's all symbolic."

Yuuri was actually blushing. "They're like _omamori_."

Victor wasn't certain that he ought to be encouraging this interpretation, what with all the confusion they'd had over the engagement ring _omamori_. But what did it matter? They were engaged now, definitely engaged, and they were planning their wedding. 

More than one wedding. Always best to be safe.

"Yes, that's what they are," he said simply. "Now, do you think we should have the civil ceremony in Russia or Japan?"

**Author's Note:**

> Victor's explanation of the Orthodox wedding ceremony is intentionally a little vague. In fact I believe you kiss the crown that's about to be put on your head, not the other person's. Details details. It's obviously been a while since Victor's been to a church wedding. Nonetheless, St. John Chrysostom tells us that the crowns symbolise victory, so what could be more appropriate?
> 
> I don't imagine that the Orthodox church will even contemplate allowing same-sex marriage in my lifetime. But this is the YoI-verse, of course it's not an issue here!
> 
> [Video of the Sochi blessing of the Russian Olympic team](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHih2d21w0E)
> 
> Examples of Russian Orthodox wedding crowns [here](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/4f445a0ae4b06d6e5f4604ce/587e822e1b631b1d18c5e4b5/587e823586e6c0a7062c7779/1484685881923/dc-russian-orthodox-wedding-2340.JPG?format=1500w) and [here](http://www.serenissima-weddings.com/comuni/immagini/chiesa_big9.jpg)
> 
> Both Japan and Russia seem to require a civil ceremony in addition to a religious ceremony (if you're having one), so Victor and Yuuri are on the hook for three weddings. I don't think they mind.


End file.
